The COVID-19 vaccine will not give you the virus, it won’t alter your DNA, and other myths

Eric Locklear has heard all the reasons why people don’t want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. They’re all false. 

Locklear, the pharmacy director at UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton, wants people to know that they shouldn’t be afraid to get their vaccine shots.

Below are some of the most common misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccines and facts about why they’re wrong. 

The COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous  

There are three different kinds of vaccines for the coronavirus: Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Janssen by Johnson & Johnson. In the clinical trials of each of these vaccines, they were found to be extremely safe even with some side effects like headaches, a sore arm after injection, or fatigue.  

Each of the three vaccines has been approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and are authorized for use in the country. Only vaccines that have been authorized by the FDA can be given to people.  

Locklear says most of the belief that the vaccines are dangerous stems from how fast the vaccines were created. The average vaccine takes about six years until it becomes available to the public.  

However, he thinks that the government worked well with private industries this time to get a faster vaccine for COVID-19 with the use of EUAs, or Emergency Use Authorizations, which allow the FDA to facilitate the availability and use of drugs or devices needed during public health emergencies. These were created after 9/11 when the country feared biological, chemical, or nuclear terrorist attacks.  

“The standard used for this is that the product may be effective, and that it’s known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks,” Locklear said.  

COVID-19 coverage:Not many people of color in Cumberland County are hesitant to get vaccine, data shows

Side effects, according to Locklear, have worried some of his patients. He confirmed that most people have some side effects, but they are not like getting COVID-19 and compares it to what happens to some people after they get the flu vaccine.  

“With the COVID-19 vaccine, you have a much higher rate of fatigue. This is really primarily after the second dose,” Locklear said. “The first dose, for most people, their arm’s going to be a little bit sore and that’s really about the worst of it. With the second dose, now your immune system is sort of primed and geared up so you’re going to get a stronger reaction.” 

Locklear said about 15-20% of people have had a “grade 3″ reaction after getting their second dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer. He recommends patients who get their second shot not to plan much activity for the next day if possible, just in case they “feel lousy.”  

The COVID-19 vaccine will give you COVID-19 — and you don’t need one if you already had the virus

There have been some reports of people getting infected with COVID-19 after taking the vaccine shot. However, this is only possible if a person already had COVID-19 before getting vaccinated, according to Locklear.  

Health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say none of the authorized vaccines for coronavirus contain the virus. So, you cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine.  

The vaccine is meant to teach our immune system to build protection in order to fight against the virus that causes COVID-19. 

Even if you had COVID-19, there is no telling if you can get sick again right now. So, getting a vaccine is your best bet, according to Locklear.  

“We do not yet have long-term follow-up data. So, the only question we cannot answer is, how long are you protected,” Locklear said. “At the end of the day, these drugs have been fully vetted, they’re safe, and we know what to look for.” 

The CDC recommends that if people have been treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies, they should wait about 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine and to talk to their doctor.  

The COVID-19 vaccine will alter my DNA

The CDC says none of the three vaccines for COVID-19 interact with or alter your DNA.

There are two types of COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for use in the United States: messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines and viral vectors.  

Viral vector vaccines, like the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine created by Johnson & Johnson, use a harmless virus (vector) to help our cells build immunity, according to the CDC.  

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, also known as mRNA vaccines, are a new type of vaccine to protect people against diseases. They teach cells how to make a protein that causes anti-bodies to prevent infection of the COVID-19 virus. 

Both types of the vaccine do the same thing: trigger our immune systems to fight off all unrecognizable and harmful viruses like COVID-19.  

Our DNA is not affected. 

Vaccine trial volunteer:Myron B. Pitts: Protected from COVID-19? As a vaccine trial volunteer, maybe

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is inferior to the other ones

While none of the vaccines are 100% in preventing COVID-19, they all do well to prevent a person from contracting COVID-19 and having deadly effects. 

Locklear says comparing the vaccines is like “comparing apples and oranges.”  

“What they defined as efficacy was different. Also, by the time the Johnson & Johnson was being tested, there were more of these variants,” Locklear said. “We don’t have people dying after they’re fully vaccinated. We don’t have reports of people being hospitalized after being vaccinated with any of these. So far what we see are people having mild reactions. We’re avoiding the worst outcomes.” 

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, known as Janssen, only requires one shot in the upper arm to be effective. 

This vaccine was about 63% effective in clinical trials. Though this is not as high as the Moderna or Pfizer, which were about 94-95% effective, Locklear said one is not better than the other. He explained that most vaccines don’t have 100% effectiveness.  

“Honestly, flu vaccine, in its best year, runs about 65% effective. In many years, if you look at the flu vaccine, it’s actually less than 50%,” Locklear said. “But even if you get the flu, if you’ve been vaccinated, you have less severe illness. There’s still benefit even if it doesn’t fully prevent it.”  

You have to pay for the vaccine

Right now, the COVID-19 vaccines are being offered for free.  

“There’s nothing that’s ever going to come off the individual’s hip,” Locklear said. “The individual person will not have to pull a dime out of their pocket for this.” 

Locklear said that the UNC Health Southeastern vaccine clinics, and some others, ask people to bring an insurance card to their vaccine appointments solely for information.  

However, you can still get the vaccine if you’re uninsured, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). 

“People without health insurance or whose insurance does not provide coverage of the vaccine can also get COVID-19 vaccine at no cost,” reads a CMS report. “Providers administering the vaccine to people without health insurance or whose insurance does not provide coverage of the vaccine can request reimbursement for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine through the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program.” 

The COVID-19 vaccine will insert a microchip into your body

In a manipulated video that surfaced on Facebook last summer featuring Bill and Melinda Gates, people were led to believe that the two billionaires were trying to track people with a chip.  

Gates has since debunked the conspiracy, multiple times.  

More COVID misinformation:Bill Gates is not secretly plotting microchips in a coronavirus vaccine. Misinformation and conspiracy theories are dangerous for everyone.

You don’t need to wear a mask after you get vaccinated for COVID-19

You still need to wear a mask, practice social distancing, and avoid large gatherings even after you get fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to the CDC. 

Health experts are still learning how long the vaccine will protect people and how well it works to protect people from the COVID-19 virus. 

Still, getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is strongly encouraged and recommended. Locklear said regardless of the side effects and discomfort, it isn’t a reason to avoid the vaccine shot. 

“It’s a personal choice, at the end of the day. The one unanswered question is just how long is this gonna be good for,” Locklear said. “It helps protect us and it helps protect those we love and want to be close to.”  

More information, explainers, and details about the COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the CDC’s website or at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 dashboard. 

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Regional Enterprise Reporter Kristen Johnson can be reached at kjohnson1@gannett.com or 910-486-3570.

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